Dump-wagon.



D. H. FINCH.

DUMP WAGON.

APPLICATION HLED JULY M, I913- RENEWED APR. 14. 1916.

1 ,1 97,36 1 I Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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[5 a'wuwwfoz D. H. FINCH.

DUMP WAGON.

v APPLICATION FILED IULY l4, 1913-HENEWED APR. 14,19l6. 1,197,361.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 wihwoneo ITE STATES P ion.

DWIGHT H. FINCI-I, OF MANCHESTER, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO MANCHESTER MACHINE COMPANY, OF MANCHESTER, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

DUMP-WAGON.

Application filed July 14, 1913, Serial No. 778,98

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DWIGHT H. FINGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manchester, in the county of Delaware and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dump l/Vagons; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in low down dump wagons.

One object of the invention is to provide a dump wagon having an improved construction and arrangement of hinged bottom sections and means for holding the same in operative engagement with the stationary bottom sections to form a tight bottom for the wagon.

Another object is to provide improved means whereby the hinge sections or doors of the bottom may be readily swung to a closed position while the wagon is in motion.

A further object is to providea dump wagon in which one side or section of the bottom may be released independently of and without interfering with the other side or section of the bottom thus permitting the load in one side of the wagon to be dumped at one place while the other half of the load in the other side may be carried on and dumped at another place.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved dump wagon; Fig. 2 is -a front end view of the body of the wagon showing the bottom looking mechanism in operative position for locking the hinged section of the bottom closed; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the locking mechanism in position for releasing the hinged section of the bottom; Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section of the wagon looking toward the front end thereof and showing the hinged bottom sections in closed posi tion; Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the hinged bottom sections in open position; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the lower side of one of the hinged sections of Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

6. Renewed April 14, 1916. Serial N0. 91,263.

the bottom. Fig. 7 is a detail vertical sectional view of one end of the wagon bodythe front end of which is secured a suitably braced sleeve 2 in which is pivotally mounted the post. or shank 3 of a front axle attaching yoke d. with which is engaged the front axle 5 of the wagon. On the front axle 5 are revolubly mounted the front supporting wheels 6. The side bars of the frame have secured thereto near their rear ends rear axle attaching frames 6 to which are secured the rear axle 7. Revolubly mounted on the rear axle 7 are rear supporting wheels 8.

The body 9 of the wagon is secured in any suitable manner between the rear side bars of the frame 1 and projects above and below the frame as shown. The body 9 is preferably formed of sheet metal and has its sides and ends firmly riveted or bolted together at the corners of the body and has its upper edges preferably reinforced by angle iron brace bars 10. The front end of the body 9 is further secured and rigidly braced to the side bars of the frame 1 by triangular shaped bracing plates 11. The sides of the wagon below the side bars of the frame are inclined inwardly or disposed at an angle and form the stationary sections 12 of the bottom of the wagon. The front and rear ends of the wagon preferably project a short distance above the body and to the projecting upper edge of the front end is preferably secured a drivers seat 13.

Arranged longitudinally through the center of the wagon body and having its ends projecting through the front and rear ends of the body is an inner bottom supporting shaft 1% on which is arranged an outer tubular shaft 15. The outer tubular shaft 15 has its ends engaged with the inner sides of the front and rear ends of the body while the'ends of the inner shaft l l which project through the ends of the body are threaded are dumping bottom sections 17 which are adapted to swing inwardly or toward each other as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings for the purpose of discharging the load from the wagon. The dumping bottom sections 17 may be hingedly connected to the shafts 14 and 15 in any suitable manner, said bottom sections, however, being preferably provided with cross cleats 18 which are riveted or bolted to the inner sides of the sections and have their upper ends extended and bent to form eyes or hinge members 19 which are engaged with the tubular shaft 15 as shown. The bottom sections 17 are preferably braced on their lower sides by diagonally arranged angle iron brace bars 20 and by a longitudinally disposed angle iron brace bar 21 which is secured to the outer or lower sides of the sections near their lower edges as clearly shown in Fig 6 of the drawing.

Secured to the inner or upper sides of the bottom sections 17 adjacent to the upper ends thereof are bottom closing levers 22 which cross each other and project upwardly adjacent to the inner side of and above the front end of the wagon body as shown. The upper ends of the levers 22 when thus arranged are in convenient reach of the driver of the vehicle who may thereby readily swing the sections 17 of the bottom outwardly to closed positions wherein the lower edges of said sections are in close engagement with the lower edges of the outer side or stationary sections 12 of the bottom as clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

In order to hold the hinged sections 17 of the bottom in closed position and in engagement with the stationary sections 12, I provide a suitable locking mechanism comprising longitudinal rock shafts 23 disposed adjacent to the lower edges of the stationary sections of the bottom and with their upper ends projecting through and revolubly mounted in bearing apertures in the lower portions of the front and rear ends of the wagon body. Fixed to the shafts 23 are bottom engaging elements which are preferably in the form of angle iron bars 24, and which when the shafts 23 are rocked in one direction or the other are adapted to be brought into and out of engagement with the lower edges of the hinged sections 17 of the bottom, when said sections are swung outwardly to a closed position as hereinbefore described. The shafts 23 are preferably square for the greater part of their length in order to facilitate the rigid fastening of the angle bars 24 thereto.

In order to hold the rock shafts 23 in position for engaging the angle iron bars 24 thereon with the edges of the door sections 17 and to disengage the bars therefrom for releasing said sections and permitting the latter to drop to open positions, I provide a locking and releasing mechanism comprising levers 25 and 26 which are arranged one against the other and pivotally mounted preferably on the projecting forward end of the inner bottom supporting shaft 14 and which project upwardly adjacent to the outer side of the front end of the wagon in position to be conveniently reached by the occupant of the seat 13. The lower end of the outer lever 25 extends straight downwardly a short distance below its pivotal connection and is connected by a link 27 to a short crank arm 28 fixed on the adjacent end of one of the shafts 23. The lower end of the inner lever 26 is turned upwardly below its pivotal connection to form an elbow 29 which is connected by a link 30 to a short crank arm 31 fixed on the outer end of the shaft 23 on the opposite side of the wagon. By thus arranging the levers 25 and 26 it will be seen that in order to rock the shafts 23 oppositely, which is the proper direction for disengaging the angle iron locking bars thereon from the edges of the hinged bottom sections, it is simply necessary to simultaneously swing the upper ends of the levers 25 and 26 in one direction as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. When the hinged sections of the bottom have again been swung to closed positions by the closing levers 22 the levers 25 and 26 are swung in the opposite direction, thus rocking the shafts 23 in the reverse directions to bring the locking bars 24 into engagement with the edges of the sections 17, thus firmly supporting and securely fastening the same in closed position.

While I have herein shown and described the shafts 23 as provided with a continuous angle iron locking bar, which also provides an effectual closure for the engaging edges of the hinged and rigid sections of the bottom, it is obvious that I may construct the bar 24 in a series of short sections or may provide said shafts with a series of angular hooks or similar elements which may be engaged with the edges of the hinged sections of the bottom for securely fastening the latter in closed position. It will also be obvious that by operating one of the levers 25 or 26 alone the locking mechanism connected to and actuated thereby may be actuated independently of the locking mechanism on the opposite side of the wagon, thus permitting one section of the wagon to be dumped independently of and without disturbing the other section which may be subsequently operated by means of the other lever for discharging the contents of the wagon at different places.

In the operation of the dumping mechanism it will be understood that when the locking mechanism is actuated the weight of the load pressing against the inner sides of the hinged or dumping sections will swing the latter downwardly and inwardly toward each other, thus permitting the contents of the wagon body to fall out between the open hinged sections and the stationary sections of the bottom. If, for any reason rocks or other obstructions become wedged between the hinged and stationary sections of the bottom and fail to freely fall from the wagon body, the closing levers of the hinged bottom sections may be reciprocated for agitating said bottom sections and thereby shaking the clogged or wedged material from the wagon body. It will also be seen that either of the hinged or dumping sections of the bottom may be released independently of the other section and one-half of the load dumped at one place and the other half at another place as hereinbefore described.

The swinging members 17 serve as doors for the bottom of the wagon-body, and in com junction with the outwardly inclined fixed walls 12 form longitudinal compartments, so that the load below the longitudinal center line 14 of the wagon is divided into two portions. Thus, either side of the wagon can be dumped independently of the other side, and either door 17 can swing from its inclined closed position at one side of this line to an inclined position below the other door, at the other side of the wagon, thereby to spread the discharge from either compartment toward the other side of the wagon. In this way, it will be seen, the load is always dumped approximately at the center of the ground between the wheels at opposite sides of the wagon, regardless of whether the two doors are opened at the same time or one ahead of the other. The inclined positions of the fixed walls 12 assist in throwing the contents of either compartment toward the other side of the wagon when the second compartment is dumped, and both doors can then swing from the position shown in Fig. 5 to an inclined position below the other compartment, to permit spreading of the discharge in the manner stated. Thus, the driver can proceed along a straight course, and the load will always be dumped substantially or approximately midway between the wheels at opposite sides of the wagon.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is:

1. In a latch mechanism for dump wagons, the combination with a body, a shaft extending longitudinally thereof and swinging members carried on said shaft forming dumping sections for the body;'of a pair of rock shafts mounted in the ends of said body and having crank arms at one end thereof, levers fulcrumed intermediate of their ends on one end of said first mentioned shaft, links connecting the lower ends of said levers with said crank arms and angular latch members carried on said rock shafts for engagement with the free edges of said swinging members to retain the same in closed position with respect to the body.

2. In .a latch mechanism for dump wagons, the combination with a body, a longitudinal shaft thereon and swinging members carried on said shaft to form dumping sections for the body; of a pair of rock shafts mounted in the end wall of said body in a plane below the aforesaid shaft and having crank arms at one end thereof, a pair of levers fulerumed adjacent the lower ends thereof on one end of the first mentioned shaft, the lower extending portion of one of said levers being bent angular-1y to form an elbow thereon, links pivotally connecting the extreme lower ends of said levers with the extremities of said crank arms, whereby movement of said levers in unison will turn said rock shafts oppositely, and latch members carried on said rock shafts adapted for engagement with the free ends of said swinging members.

3. A dumpwagon comprising a body con structed with two longitudinally extending compartments which have outer fixed walls and inner movable walls forming the bottom of the body, means for supporting said movable walls to serve as doors for discharging the load and whereby each door is mounted to swing from its inclined closed position at one side of the longitudinal center line of the wagon to an inclined position below the other door, when either door is opened alone, thereby to allow the dischargeindependently of the other, and means to restore said doors to closed position.

4. A dump-wagon comprising a body constructed with two longitudinally extending compartments which have outer fixed walls and inner movable walls forming the bottom of the body, means for supporting said movable walls to serve as doors for discharging the load and whereby each door is mounted to swing from its inclined closed position at one side of the longitudinal center line of the wagon to an inclined position below the other door, when either door is opened alone, thereby to allow the discharge from either compartment to spread toward the other side of the wagon, devices to lock the lower edges of said doors tothe lower edges of said fixed walls, mechanism for controlling said devices to open each door independently of the other, and means to restore said doors to closed position said devices including rock-shafts carried on said fixed walls, said shafts having means to engage the lower edges of the doors, and said mecha nism comprising hand-levers pivoted at the front end of said body, cranks on the ends of said shafts, and links connecting said cranks with said levers, said links being disposed in position to rotate said shafts in opposite directions when the two levers are both moved toward the same side of. the wagon.

5. A dump-wagon comprising a body constructed with two longitudinally extending compartments which have outer fixed walls and inner movable walls forming the bottom of the body, means for supporting said movable walls to serve as doors for discharging the load and whereby each door is mounted to swing from its inclined closed position at one side of the longitudinal center line of the wagon to an inclined position below the other door, when either door is opened alone, thereby to allow the discharge from either compartment to spread toward the other side of the wagon, devices to lock the lower edges of said doors to the lower edges of said fixed walls, mechanism for controlling said devices to open each door independently of the other, and means to restore said doors to closed position, said last-mentioned means including a pair of hand-levers each rigid with the forward end of a door.

6. A dump-wagon comprising a body constructed with two longitudinally extending compartments which have outer fixed walls and inner movable walls forming the bottom of the body, means for supporting said movable walls to serve as doors for discharging the load and whereby each door is mounted to swing from its inclined closed position at one side of the longitudinal center line of the wagon to an inclined position below the other door, when either door is opened alone, thereby to allow the discharge from either compartment to spread toward the other side of the wagon, devices to lock the lower edges of said doors to the lower edges of said fixed walls, mechanism for controlling said devices to open each door independently of the other, and means to restore said doors to closed position, said body having front and rear end-walls, said first-mentioned means including a pipe having its ends supported by said end-walls and upon which said doors are mounted to swing toward and away from each other about a common axis coincident with said line, said mechanism being disposed outside of said front end-wall, said last-mentioned means being disposed inside of said front end-wall, and a seat in front of said mechanism and means.

7 A dump-wagon comprising a body constructed with two longitudinally extending compartments which have outer fixed walls and inner movable walls forming the bottom of the body, means for supporting said movable walls to serve as doors for discharging the load and whereby each door is mounted to swing from its inclined closed position at one side of the longitudinal center line of the wagon to an inclined position below the other door, when either door is opened alone, thereby to allow the discharge from either compartment to spread toward the other side of the wagon, devices to lock the lower edges of said doors to the lower edges of said fixed walls, mechanism for controlling said devices to open each door independently of the other, and means to restore said doors to closed position, said fixed walls being inclined outwardly at each side of the wagon. Y

8. A dump-wagon comprising a body constructed with two longitudinally extending compartments which have outer fixed walls and inner movable walls forming the bottom of the body, means for supporting said movable walls to serve as doors for discharging the load and whereby each door is mounted to swing from its inclined closed position at one side of the longitudinal center line of the wagon to an inclined position below the other door, when either door is opened alone, thereby to allow the discharge from either compartment to spread toward the other side of the wagon, devices to lock the lower edges of said doors to the lower edges of said fixed walls, mechanism for controlling said devices to open each door independently of the other, and means to restore said doors to closed position, said mechanism including cranks, and links connecting said cranks to said levers, one lever having a bell-crank-arm so that movement of both levers in the same direction will rotate said cranks in opposite directions to open the doors.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DVIGHT H. FINGH. Witnesses H. S. DAVIS,

NORMAN G. AGKLEY.

' Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Pateltl,

Washington, D. G. 

